Rebates

If your Psychiatrist or Paediatrician refers you, or your GP is able to provide a mental health care plan to Medicare, part of the fee for your sessions (up to 10 per calendar year), can be claimed from Medicare ($141.85 per session for Registered Psychologist with Clinical Endorsement, $96.65 for Registered Psychologist). If you intend not to obtain rebates through Medicare and you have Ancillary Cover with a private health insurance fund, you may claim a rebate for Psychological services.

Fees

Our fees for individual therapy sessions are set below the recommended rate set by the Australian Psychological Society, which is currently $311 per 50-55 min session.

Full Fees for individual sessions with our Registered Psychologists are $260 per 50-55 minute session. Full fees for individual sessions with our Registered Psychologists with Clinical Endorsement are $300 per 50-55 minute session. The initial session is usually 80 to 85 minutes with a Fee of $450 for consulting with a Clinically Endorsed Psychologist and $390 for consulting with a Registered Psychologist. Couples counselling and family sessions are charged at $320 per 50-55 minute session. The initial session for couples and families are calculated based on an 80-85 minute session and are priced at $480.

If you, as the fee payer, provide written evidence of earnings from income and assets from the previous financial year (of the fee payer(s)) of under $70,000, and are currently finding our full fees for Psychological therapy difficult to manage, a reduced rate from the full fee may apply for individual, couple and family sessions.

Payment is due at the time of the session and can be made by debit card, credit card or eftpos. We have a HICAPS machine and can provide online Medicare rebate or private health care refund immediately. If fees are not paid, treatment may be terminated. Rebates are not available for payments on late cancellations (those made within 2 business days).

We take/charge a 50% non-refundable deposit Fee (50% of the full initial session fee) for your initial session, at the time of you booking your initial session with us. This fee is kept by the practice and deducted from the total 100% fee charged for your initial session, leaving you with 50% payable at time of session. This 50% non-refundable deposit Fee (50% of the full initial session fee) for your initial session, is non refundable. Therefore, once this fee is taken, if you choose later on to cancel therapy with us, prior to your initial session with us/commencing therapy with us, we will retain this fee for the time and service provided to you of completing your intake, matching you with and booking you in with our psychologist.

Although we are a Therapy based practice, and do not provide reports for courts. On rare occasions we may provide a short Summary of treatment/Therapy report. The preparation time for these specific reports, are charged at $320 per hour and incur GST in addition.

Cancellations, No Shows & Session Changes

If you need to cancel, change or postpone an appointment, you must inform us by telephone at least 2 working (business) days prior to your session. Unless exceptional circumstances arise within those two working days, such as being too unwell to attend the session (sick with the flu, Migraine headache), caring for a sick child, car breaking down, having to go to hospital or a funeral, you will be charged the full Fee for the session if you have not provided this period of notice.

Our cancellation policy is in place & enforced to ensure you maintain consistent attendance at your sessions so you & your psychologist can do the work necessary to achieve your goals of therapy & improve your wellbeing. It helps to dissuade you from cancelling your sessions late when therapy gets challenging or another competing activity becomes available to you at the same time as your therapy session. By empowering you to decide which is more important, your health & wellbeing or the other activity, you have a choice to either attend therapy & move or cancel the more recent activity, or attend the other activity & pay the late cancellation fee. The 2 business days’ notice allows clients on our waiting list, enough time to attend sessions that become available. It also provides enough time for the psychologist to fill that time in their work schedule which otherwise could not be compensated for the loss of income. We have enforced this policy since 2005 with all clients of the service, past and present.

By signing the consent form, you consent for us to take your credit card details with permission to charge the full cost of your session to your card should you not provide us with 2 business days’ notice to cancel, change or postpone an appointment. Rebates are not available for payments on late cancellations (those made less than 2 working days prior to session) or missed appointments. Please be punctual for your appointments. You are allotted 50 to 55 minutes for your session, and any time that you miss will not be added onto the time allotted for your therapy. Sessions commence 5 minutes past the hour, and finish approximately 5 minutes before the hour.